Morning Briefing

"Afghans are living longer, fewer infants are dying and more women are surviving childbirth because health care has dramatically improved around the country in the past decade, according to a national survey released Wednesday," the Associated Press/Guardian reports. The survey, conducted by the Afghan Health Ministry in 2010 and "sponsored and funded by international organizations such as UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the U.S. government and the British Department for International Development," "indicates that increased access to health care in Afghanistan, more hospitals and clinics, and more trained health care workers and doctors have significantly contributed to an overall improvement in the health of most Afghans," the AP writes (11/30).